gratisfest 2006

need i say more?

labor day weekend.

lots of fun.

artists. musicians. food. camping. kids crafts.

please come.

www.gratisfest.com

p.s. website has not been updated for this year yet.

no question is stupid

aidan asked me last night if he went to public school would i let him have a sleepover with a friend on a school night.

deep thoughts

i live in a semi-suburban (meaning on the inside of the 275 loop), mostly white, middle to upper class neighborhood. since we have lived here, the neighbor to one side divorced, mom left dad and kids, then dad and kids left. the neighbor to the other side divorced, mom forced dad to leave her and kids, sold house and left. the neighbor two doors down who just moved in a few months ago, works alot and the kids run around. i just found out that another neighbor a few doors down is in a psych hospital because she tried to kill herself and has threatened to kill her 5 children. the dad has divorced her and the kids are left to their own devices. i have frequently seen the 9 year old taking care of the 3 year old and thought it was odd.....now i know why. appearances are deceptive we all know. who would think in this nice, manicured neighborhood such travesty exists? then again, we've all seen american beauty, a film who brought suburban hell to the forefront. what is interesting to me, is that the churches in this area would never think like a urban church. they would never have a cookout outreach....when maybe that's what's needed. not for physical nourishment, because the people in my neighborhood can afford food, but for emotional nourishment. how many moms and dads living here are silently dying and noone really notices, because there are no outward signs? how many moms and dads here are going to just "show up" at the local church building on a sunday morning? how many urban moms and dads are going to just "show up" at the local church building on a sunday morning. why would they? they would because maybe they met a neighbor who loved them no matter what their circumstance. they would because someone they met took an interest in them. how does this work? have a cookout, invite your neighbor. not the whole neighborhood. just one person at a time. i am giving my advice to myself. i have lived in this neighborhood, isolated because my friends live in all other parts of town. does that mean i ignore the people around me? for the past 4 years i have. and i am ashamed. embarrassed. i don't even know most of the names of the people on my street. i've waited for them to come to me and they haven't come. i've been foolish.

i've had this dilemma about where we should move. my biggest conflict is this: do we live in a exclusive, resort-type neighborhood that would be right by some of our best family friends who love God and who love their neighbors and who are trying to make a difference where they live? OR do we live in a run-down, obviously broken neighborhood by some people who love God and love their neighbors and who are trying really hard to make a difference where they live? it seems selfish to live in a nice place, with a nice yard. but do i take my family to a place where there might not be nice and may not have a nice yard. i think today i've realized it really doesn't matter. rich or poor. black or white. the problems are there. people everywhere need God. more importantly, they need to know that God loves them.

in the past 12 years i've barely picked up a bible. well, i shouldn't say that. i haven't picked up an adult version of the bible and quite frankly, i prefer the kids version. it's easy to read, to the point AND has pictures. my favorite one is the God Loves Me Bible. on every page is a nice, little story about each on of the major players and at the end of each story, is something like this, "God loved Moses and God loves me" or God loved Adam and Eve and God loves me" or "God loved David and God loves me"....you get the idea. isn't that all we need? you screw up? God loves you. you do right? God loves you. at the end of the Bible you're supposed to glue in a picture of yourself and underneath it says......AND GOD LOVES ME. hey, this is really all i care about. all that other stuff is just words and gets pretty tedious. deep down it's what we probably all really care about. to know we are loved. SO, go pick yourself up a copy of the God Loves Me Bible. you'll thank me later.